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3 Rifle Arsenal: What Are You Choosing and Why?

"If I were allowed three rifles, I'd keep both my fast .30 and my .416. Then I'd add a .22 centerfire." -Craig Boddington

3 Rifle Arsenal: What Are You Choosing and Why?
"If I were allowed three rifles, I’d keep both my fast .30 and my .416. Then I’d add a .22 centerfire." - Craig Boddington (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

Like many of us reading this magazine, I have more rifles than I absolutely need. None of mine are “new in the box.” All have been to the range, the majority taken afield. I cherish each one, but some haven’t been fired in years. That suggests I could live without them. Fortunately, thanks to our blessed Second Amendment, I don’t have to. There are no restrictions on having guns I’m not using and don’t need.

What if you could have just one rifle? How about just two or three? For us fortunate Americans, this is purely theoretical, but elsewhere in the world, many shooters are sharply limited in the firearms they can own.

I was just in South Africa, hunting with a friend from Australia, and we had this favorite campfire discussion. In both Australia and South Africa, multiple firearms are allowed, but the time and bureaucratic hassle involved in getting permits are onerous enough to make one think hard: How bad do you really need it?

What if you could have just one rifle? First, you must think about what your purpose is. Home defense, target shooting, hunting? For defense, I’d default to a short-barreled AR or other semiauto, probably in .223 for sheer availability. In areas where semiautos like this aren’t legal, perhaps a short-barreled, fast-handling lever-action in a pistol cartridge—probably .357, with the option to use .38 Special ammo for practice.

Purpose and Application

3 rifles side by side
(Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

For target shooting, whether punching holes in paper or ringing steel, the obvious answer also comes easy: the best and most accurate 6.5 Creedmoor bolt action I could afford. It’s no secret I’m not a big 6.5 Creedmoor fan as a hunting cartridge, but as a target round it delivers long-range performance with minimal recoil.

But when it comes to hunting, picking just one is more complicated, and it depends on what you hunt and under what conditions. For most whitetail hunting, the 6.5 Creedmoor remains one of dozens of sound choices. Like most Americans, I’m first and foremost a deer hunter, but I’ve climbed high for sheep and goats, tackled Alaskan brown bears, hunt Africa most years and have an elk hunt planned this fall.

For me, the choice is limited but also obvious. It must be a well-scoped .375. For nostalgia, tradition and greater availability, I’d probably go with a .375 H&H, but I could live happily with a .375 Ruger. The faster .375s have too much recoil for my taste, even if they’re more ideal in open country. I’d be embarrassingly overgunned for deer and downright nervous on serious mountain hunts, but with careful bullet choices, I could hunt anything in the world with a .375 if I had to.

Even if I expanded this to two rifles, I’m still kind of stuck: I need a big gun for the largest game and would like something that shoots flat for mountains and plains. With a two-rifle battery, I’d probably trade the .375 in for a .416 Rigby, Remington or Ruger, or a .404 Jeffery. Collectively, with their heavier bullets, all are better for the largest game than any .375, and they shoot flat enough to be almost as versatile.

Choices, Choices

arsenal with options

But which one? I love both the .404 Jeffery and .416 Rigby for their tradition, but the .416 Rem. Mag. or .416 Ruger probably make more sense because their rifles are lighter and cheaper, and their ammo is more compact.

The second rifle could be chambered to a wide variety of cartridges, from 6.5mm to .270 to 7mm and on up to at least .30. I have pet rifles in all four bullet diameters that I’d be loath to give up, but at heart I’m a .30 caliber guy and can’t imagine not owning a .30-30 or a .30-06.

I’ve taken most of my mountain game with a .300 Wby. Mag., and I’m impressed by the .300 PRC with faster twist and heavier bullets. I’d be tempted to start over with a.300 PRC, but I’d probably keep my .300 Win. Mag., which is still the world’s most popular magnum.

Both my one- and two-rifle batteries have an inherent problem: nothing light in recoil that’s fun to shoot. If I were allowed three rifles, I’d keep both my fast .30 and my .416. Then I’d add a .22 centerfire for coyotes, prairie dog, and less costly, low-recoil practice.

Recommended


Don't Forget A Small Caliber

I thought about a super-accurate .22-250—which I don’t currently own—but I’d hate to give up my .204 Ruger. Instead, I’d probably keep my Kansas ranch rifle, a plain-Jane Rock River AR, rare left-hand action in .223. It’s accurate enough for prairie dogs, and although I rarely use it for buck hunting, it’s useful for filling doe tags. Also, it doubles as a sound home-defense platform.

Depending on your needs, you might be able to trim your battery. I’d be hard-pressed to get by with fewer than three rifles. And I’m still missing something not just important, but fundamental: a good .22 rimfire. In 1979 I interviewed with Howard French for a job at Guns & Ammo. His first question: Did I own a .22? At the time, I had a Ruger 10/22. I got the job.

I can’t imagine a serious American rifleshooter’s battery that doesn’t include a good .22 rimfire. That’s the cartridge we start with and stay with. We may drift away from time to time, but we’ll always circle back. It’s the great teacher and ideal for plinking, position practice, small game and pests. And the great therapist. Ever get flinchy from shooting too many cannons? Lots of shooting with a good .22 is the best cure.

It depends on your purposes. Some of us could get by without as many, but I’m hard-pressed to figure out how I could be confident with fewer than four rifles. I’m happy I’m an American rifleshooter and don’t have to make such compromises.

The Editor's Two Cents

In terms of hunting rifles, I have it a lot easier than Craig in terms of a three-gun battery. While I might go to Africa again, I’ve already killed buffalo and likely won’t get to do that again. Similarly, brown bears aren’t on my list anymore. But Shiras moose is, so for a big gun my .444 Marlin fills the bill.

For all-around big game I would like to go with my beloved .280 Rem. But the cartridge is fading too fast in terms of ammo availability. For me, it’s now the .308 Win. It’s plenty capable for African plains game, deer, elk, pronghorn, caribou and sheep—without the recoil of my .300 Win. Mag.

And, like Craig, I’d never forgo owning a .22 rimfire. So that’s my three. What are yours? Email us at rifles@OutdoorSG.com.—JSR




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